Budget & Financial Planning Lead (BFO III)

Budget And Financial Planning Lead

Join our dynamic Finance, Budget & Planning team and play a vital role in keeping our parks safe, accessible, and sustainable through thoughtful, strategic budgeting and financial planning. We are seeking two experienced leaders to serve as Budget and Financial Planning Leads (Business and Finance Officer III BFO III) offering the chance to take on meaningful challenges while strengthening your analytical, innovative, and leadership skills. In this role, you will contribute to work that directly enhances quality of life through environmental stewardship, equity, health and wellness. If you're passionate about the outdoors and making a positive impact on your community, this is an opportunity to do both.

In addition to the current opening, this recruitment may be used to establish a pool of qualified candidates to fill future Business and Finance Officer III career service and term-limited temporary openings within the Parks Division or throughout the Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP) over the next six months.

The Department of Natural Resources and Parks (DNRP), Parks Division Budget and Financial Planning Unit is recruiting for two key positions: Capital Budget Lead and Operating Budget Lead. Both positions are classified as Business and Finance Officer III (BFO III) and report to the unit manager, Budget Supervisor (BFO IV). As key members of the team, these roles support Parks business operations by ensuring alignment with the approved budget and the Parks Levy commitments. Responsibilities include performing complex budgeting, forecasting, and financial analysis; leading the development of the biennial operating and capital budgets; maintaining the integrity of financial data; supporting cross-functional accounting and budget activities; and conducting expenditure reviews with key partners to drive strategic, data-driven decision-making.

This position follows a hybrid work model, blending remote and in-person work.

The Finance, Budget & Planning team plays a critical role in advancing the Parks Division's mission to steward, enhance, and expand parks, trails, open spaces, and environmental initiatives that support healthy, thriving communities throughout King County. Serving as the division's financial backbone, the team provides strategic financial planning, fiscal stewardship, and operational support across a system that includes more than 205 parks, 175 miles of regional trails, and 215 miles of backcountry trails. Organized into four specialized unitsFinance Administration, Accounting and Fiscal Administration, Budget and Financial Planning, and Procurement and Strategic Sourcingthe team partners across the division to support informed decision-making, sustainable funding, and high-quality public services. These positions offer the opportunity to contribute to meaningful, community-centered work that promotes equity, expands access to green spaces, and supports long-term community and environmental well-being.

King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive. We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As Budget and Financial Planning Lead (BFO-III), you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work.

What You Will Be Doing:

• Collaborate with departmental partners, cross-county teams, and external agencies to develop and manage operational budgets, evaluate new initiatives, and estimate costs needed to support programs and operational goals.
• Develop clear, accurate, and data-driven budget focused presentations, dashboards, and recurring financial reports for diverse audiences, including leadership and partners.
• Lead and support finance staff by providing technical guidance, mentoring, training, and oversight of budget research, financial reporting, and analytical work.
• Conduct complex budget and financial analyses, including monthly monitoring of expenditures and revenues, identifying and explaining variances, preparing adjustment entries, and tracking division performance measures to support informed decision-making.
• Create and maintain advanced financial tools, queries, pivot tables, charts, graphs, and visualizations that enhance reporting, streamline analysis, and communicate key insights effectively.
• Contribute to strategic planning and lead continuous process improvement initiatives to strengthen financial operations, efficiency, and organizational effectiveness.

Qualifications You Bring:

• Minimum three years of professional experience in budget, finance, policy, or management analysis with direct responsibility for budget development, financial analysis, and fiscal management.
• Demonstrated experience developing, monitoring, and managing complex operating and/or capital budgets, including preparing budget forms, justification narratives, and maintaining internal controls to ensure financial integrity and compliance.
• Experience managing the technical aspects of budget development and maintenance, including preparation of budget forms and justification narratives, and internal controls to ensure financial integrity and compliance.
• Proficiency using enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, such as Oracle EBS, along with advanced skills in financial reporting and data visualization tools such as Excel, PowerPoint, Tableau, and Power BI.
• Experience leading or supporting collaborative team efforts with a focus on proactive communication, project and workflow coordination, mentoring, accountability, and delivering high-quality professional results.
• Strong knowledge of governmental budgeting practices, financial policies, procedures, and funding mechanisms including capital improvement programs, long-range financial planning, and diverse funding sources such as REET, property tax levies, and state and federal grants.
• Proven ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with diverse internal and external partners and to communicate complex financial information clearly to a variety of audiences.

Competencies You Bring:

Financial Acumen: Ability to interpret and apply understanding of key financial indicators to make better business decisions.

Cultivates Innovation: Ability to create new and better ways for the organization to be successful.

Directs Work: Ability to provide direction, delegate, and remove obstacles to get work done.

Collaborates: Ability to build partnerships and work collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.

Communicates Effectively: Ability to develop and deliver multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences.

Optimizes Work Processes: Ability to know the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement.

It Would Be Great if You Also Bring:

• Bachelor's degree in public sector finance, public administration, accounting, or related field.
• Experience supporting large-scale capital projects and the transition from project completion to operational management, including applying project control principles and collaborating with project managers, procurement, finance, and other cross-functional partners.
• Leadership experience in a public organization, including the use of collaboration and project management tools available such as SharePoint and Teams, and the application of LEAN, or other continuous process improvement principals.

The team works in a hybrid model, with days in the office as well as telecommuting. The ratio of remote to onsite work will be dependent on business needs and is subject to change. The primary onsite location is King Street Center, 201 S. Jackson, Seattle, Washington 98104.

Employees must reside in Washington state and within a reasonable distance to their King County worksite to respond to workplace reporting requirements.

King County has a robust collection of tools and resources to support working remotely. The individual selected for this opportunity will join an innovative and progressive team that is redefining how we work as we transition to the department's hybrid environment. Employees will be provided with a County-issued laptop and must maintain a home workspace with an internet connection where they can reliably perform work and remain available and responsive during scheduled work hours.

Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is exempt from the overtime provision of the Fair Labor Standard Act (FLSA) and is not eligible for overtime.

Union Representation: This position is represented by a union: Teamsters L117-P&T.

Application and Selection Process:

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application, to include responses to supplemental questions.
• Cover Letter (PDF format)

Note: Additional documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Candidates invited to the first-round interview will be asked to complete a written technical exercise to assess their level of expertise in managing Capital and Operating budgets. Candidates showing the highest level of competency will be invited to the second/final round of interviews.

For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Crystal Yost at View email address on click.appcast.io.

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